The Prevalence and Features of Korean Gout Patients Using the National Health Insurance Corporation Database

Abstract

Objective. We wanted to evaluate the prevalence of gout and its features in Korean people using the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) database. Methods. Using the NHIC database from 2001 to 2008, we selected the gout patients who were coded as having gout as a main diagnosis. From the total number of gout patients , we evaluated the prevalence of gout and its features. Results. The prevalence of gout prevalence was 0.171% in 2001 and 0.397% in 2008, and there was a 2.317 fold increased during over the 7 years. In 2008, the percentage of fifth and sixth decade patients was 48.5% and that of the male patients were 89.8% of the total gout patients. The increasing rate of the prevalence of gout during the same period was also higher in males (the male vs. female ratio was 5.3:1 in 2001 and 8.8:1 in 2008). The gout prevalence increased year by year to the eighth decade, and the peak prevalence age group was the ninth decade in 2001, the eighth decade in 2002-2005 and the seventh decade in 2006-2008. The prevalence ratio of 2008 to 2001 was higher for the males and the younger age group; that of third decade for males was 9.87 , which was over the 10 times higher compared to that of the ninth decade (9.87 vs. 0.89, respectively). Conclusion. The prevalence of gout in 2008 using the NHIC database was 0.397%, so the prevalence of gout increased 2.317 fold over the 7 years, and nearly 90% of the gout patients were male. The increasing rate of gout prevalence was higher in the males and the younger age group. 서 론 통풍은 체내에서 요산이 많이 만들어지거나, 신장으로의 배설 저하로 체내에 요산이 과다하게 축적되어 발생하는 염증반응을 통틀어 말한다. 미국이나 영국에서의 1990년 대 통풍 유병률이 1970년대에 비해 2∼3배 증가하였는데 (1-4), 이처럼 통풍의 발생이 증가하는 것은 비만, 고혈압, 수명의 연장등과 연관이 있는 것으로 보고되고 있다 (5-9). 우리나라의 경우도 과거에 비해 대사성 질환이 증가하고 평균 수명이 연장되면서 통풍의 유병률이 증가할 것으로 예상되나, 현재까지 통풍의 유병률에 대한 보고는 제한적 이다 (10,11). 선진국에서는 발생 빈도가 높은 질환에 대한 역학 조사 를 활발히 진행하고 있으나 (1-4,12-17), 국내에서는 아직 많은 연구가 진행되지 못하고 있다. 의료보험이 통합됨으